Riding Position
KTM RC390
At standstill, when you swing a leg over and extend your arms to reach for those clip-ons, the RC390 might come across as too focused. However, that is where it fools you into thinking that all that aggression is not what you need. Push the starter button, engage the gear and on the move is where you start experiencing magic. You slowly begin to understand that there is no other way the KTM RC 390 would’ve been as much fun, as it is, had it not been for the riding stance. The front windscreen does a neat job of deflecting the wind, while the crouched riding position further aids in cheating the invisible force of nature. It makes you feel connected to the motorcycle and reiterates the message that this isn’t a machine for your daily errands.
Having said that, controls are easily accessible and even taller riders will find enough room to move around, once on the saddle. The mirrors could’ve been extended some more, so you could see what lives in your afterglow and not your own arms, while the rider seat could do with some more padding. For a pillion, that space behind the rider is best experienced only on shorter rides. Unlike one may think of it, the rear seat is foam filled and not a matt black piece of industrial material which looks like a cowl. That piece of information should bring some respite for the prospective pillion riders, especially the PYTs. Tell your girlfriend that if she’s been persuading you against buying that baby.
Kawasaki Ninja 300
Now, if you perch yourself on the saddle of this quarter litre Kawasaki after a ride on the RC390, things will suddenly seem more relaxed. You might think someone just stopped fast forwarding and is playing the visuals around you at normal speeds. The clip-ons on the Ninja 300 are raised in comparison to the faired KTM, the seat is more spacious and the riding position, though sporty, is not as aggressive as the RC 390. For a pillion, the rear seat is not a couch on the Ninja either, but in comparison to the faired KTM, it is a comfortable place to be seated on for short to medium rides.
Duke 390
A wide, flat handlebar, rear set foot pegs, flared elbows and bent knees. That coupled with an eager motor is recipe for an exciting machine for the streets and open roads alike. The Duke 390 is a light weight motorcycle and the riding position lends it with fantastic manoeuvrability in traffic. Out on the open roads the little fly screen above the digital speedo isn’t enough to deflect wind at high speeds. Thankfully, KTM does provide an after-market larger screen. For six footers and people with wide frames, the rider seat feels very narrow, with not much space for movement while the rear stepped seat acts as a wall and stops you from moving backwards.
I agree that the Duke has the initial pull, or its atleast equal from what I could make out at the BIC trackday, Noida.
However, I did ride the Duke 390 (road+track, I own one) and Ninja 250 (on the road), and I believe that an important point is that the Ninja has a wider powerband.
That means if you get distracted or have a corner ahead, and over rev the Ninja beyond its max power point, there’s still a long way before rev limiter…. So, no problems here.
But should the Duke miss the Max power gearshift, its rev limiter right away. And you go back by 3-4 bike lengths normally….
For racing, more cylinders are always better. On road, I believe its Vice Versa, seeing the SuperDuke 1290 and the Duke 390 too.